REPORT OF THE HEAD OF LAW AND ADMINISTRATION
TO THE
DIRECTOR OF CORPORATE SERVICES
RE-GRADE OF TEAM LEADERS : LEGAL SECTION
1.
INTRODUCTION
This report seeks approval to re-grade the following Team Leader posts in the
Legal Section from PO5/6 to Local Scale (SCP 50-53) with effect from 1st June,
2004 :Principal Solicitor / Team Leaders (Family & Community Law)
Principal Solicitor / Team Leader (Litigation)
Principal Solicitor / Team Leader (Land & Property
Principal Solicitor / Team Leader (Housing)
Principal Solicitor / Team Leader (Crime & Disorder)
2.
REASONS
(i)
Retention of Staff
The Team Leaders are all qualified solicitors with considerable years of post
qualification experience. The Person Specification states as an essential criterion
that postholders must be, inter alia, qualified solicitors / barristers.
In an increasingly competitive market place, both within local authorities and in
private practice, it is vital that the City Council does its utmost to retain experienced
staff, and accordingly I believe that it is necessary to re-grade these posts to retain
such staff.
(ii)
Increased Duties and Responsibilities
Since the posts were assigned their present grades, there has been an increase in
duties, responsibilities and workloads attached to these posts. These include :Family & Community Law
There has been a substantial increase in the amount of legal advice and
representation, which is expected to be provided to the Community & Social
Services Directorate, particularly in the field of child care work. In addition, there
has been a corresponding increase in demand for advice on adult matters. The
recent introduction of High Court Judicial Protocol makes it inevitable that more
legal input will be needed in child care applications, particularly in relation to Court
appearances and meetings of experts and other relevant individuals. The
Community & Social Services Directorate are also asking for much greater training
in legal issues, and a substantial proportion of this demand falls upon the Principal
Solicitor / Team Leader.
Litigation
The Team Leader is becoming involved in more strategic Council-wide issues, e.g.
Council Policy on Highways and Personal Injury Insurance Claims. In addition, a
number of Council Directorates are expanding their enforcement role, e.g. Housing,
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Highways, Planning, Building Control, Benefit Fraud, and this is already leading to
an increase in legal enforcement work, including prosecutions. The Principal
Solicitor / Team Leader is also having to advise on policy issues relating to the City
Council’s enforcement activities.
Land & Property
There has been a substantial increase in the Council’s acquisition and disposal
programme, and this rate of increase will accelerate as a result of substantial
Central Government funding. The Land & Property Team has had to recruit
additional temporary staff – at present there are four – and it is inevitable that there
will have to be increases in the permanent structure of the Team. The Team
Leader has taken on a greater management role in ensuring Capital Receipts and
acquisition targets are met, and is having to liaise and work with an increasing
number of Council Directorates.
Housing
There has been a recent restructuring involving a virtual doubling of the permanent
staff in this Team. There has been a substantial increase in work, particularly
relating to disrepair claims, often from private practice solicitors who act as “claims
farmers”. The Principal Solicitor / Team Leader has an increasing role in coordinating and implementing corporate strategies to deal with such claims. The
postholder also has an increasing role in the internal reporting mechanisms of
Team’s main client, New Prospect Housing Limited.
Crime & Disorder
This is a growing and developing area of law, in which Salford City Council is in the
vanguard. The Principal Solicitor / Team Leader has increasing responsibilities in
developing strategic corporate policies and practices in conjunction with other
Council Directorates and outside agencies, including the Police. An ongoing
restructuring will lead to a substantial increase in the number of staff for whom the
postholder will have responsibility.
(iii)
Comparators
At the present time, the Principal Solicitors / Team Leaders compare unfavourably
with comparable staff in other parts of the Corporate Services Directorate.
For example, the post of
Director Level in the Finance Section is graded at
3.
which is below Assistant
SUMMARY
These posts require the postholders not only to carry a large personal caseload, but
also be responsible for the supervision, management and development of teams of
staff, numbers of which in most cases are growing. In addition, they are also
required to advise on corporate issues, and are taking on increasingly strategic
roles.
The postholders are often “the face” of the City Council at meetings with external
parties.
One of the postholders has already accepted a post with another Local Authority,
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although that is not the catalyst for this report.
It is necessary for the City Council to attract and retain high calibre staff. If any of
these posts become vacant, it is simply not an option for the work, which attaches
to these posts not to be undertaken. In such situation, much of their work would
have to be put out to private practice and / or Counsel, both of which are inevitably
much costlier options for client Directorates.
For the above reasons, it is recommended that the posts be re-graded as indicated
above.
COSTS
4.
The costs of adopting this recommendation would be £14,285 per annum, at the
top of the scale.
The proposed new staffing structure and costings are set out in the table below.
CURRENT
Post
Principal Solicitor /
Team Leader
Total
PROPOSED
Grade
PO5/6
No.
5
Salary
at max
£
35,934
179,670
IS/JMC
1st March, 2004.
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Post
Principal Solicitor /
Team Leader
Grade
Local Scale
SCP50-53
No.
Salary
at max
£
Comments
5
38,791
Re-grade
193,955